


Una in Perpetuum [Together forever]

by LiterallyAmazingPhan



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Crossover, HP AU, Hogwarts! au, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phan Fluff, Phan Hogwarts AU, Phandom - Freeform, Phanfiction, phanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-08
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 10:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4957462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyAmazingPhan/pseuds/LiterallyAmazingPhan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan Howell comes from a respectable family of Gryffindors, so it’s a surprise to find himself sorted into Slytherin. Believing the house’s reputation, Dan was positive his fate would be to turn evil. Little did he know that a certain Hufflepuff would turn all of his expectations around and lead him to a wildly different path. Follow the adventures of Dan and Phil through Hogwarts as they grow and learn all there is about love and magic, side-by-side as they have to face the biggest threat of all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Una in Perpetuum [Together forever]

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Writing a Hogwarts AU has always been a dream of mine and it’s FINALLY here, guys! <3 I’d like to thank my lovely team (@mustyfig and @rise-of-the-fangirl) for their endless patience and for always believing in me, even though I sometimes thought I’d never finish this story. The love they dedicated to this project has been quite an honor and I’m so happy with what we have built together! I’d also like to thank my followers for sticking by me, even though I focused on this for quite a while and had to stop writing other things. I’d also like to thank my bae @flippin-phantastic for putting up with me constantly stressing out over this little monster and being there for me everytime. This goes out to all the lovely people whom I have discussed phan hogwarts AU headcanons with. Oh, and a major shoutout to @chocolatesaucelester for all the PBB conversations we’ve had and her endless support. I quite like how this phanfic turned out and I hope you like it too! :D
> 
> A/N 2: This story is set on the same timeline as Harry Potter’s. Harry is one year ahead of Phil, who’s one year older than Dan in this universe. Just a heads up in case it gets confusing lmao
> 
> A/N 3: Crossposted on my tumblr page. Fic written for the Phandom Big Bang 2015.

“SLYTHERIN”

The word echoes across the great hall as Dan Howell gets up from the stool, still shaky. The nerve-wracking process of making his way through the other first-years and sitting down in front of all these people was already enough to make him anxious, but the fact that this single moment would define his whole trajectory in Hogwarts was enough to make him nauseous and weak in the knees.

Looking at the Slytherin table, Dan made his way there, trying to convince himself that it wasn’t the end of the world. Sure, Slytherin had a bad reputation, but maybe he would find friends easily enough and things wouldn’t be as bad as they seemed. He tried to stay positive as he took his place near his new housemates. The boy wanted to try to talk to people already and make new friends, but he was far too intimidated. Instead he just stared down at the ground, not even daring to look up at his peers.

It wasn’t for lack of trying to convince the sorting hat that he didn’t belong into Slytherin that he got in. The hat was pretty adamant about his potential for Slytherin. Sighing, Dan tried to think why he was unlucky enough to end up on the house everybody would hate him for. He could already imagine the disappointment in his parents’ eyes when they realized that their son was sorted into that specific house, both of them being proud Gryffindors back in the day.  _Well, yet another reason for me not to be the son they always dreamed of_ , Dan decided, withdrawing even more into his own shell.

He also didn’t think he would fit in. Everybody around him looked cool and intimidating and he was just awkwardly self-conscious Dan, with a fringe and freaking dimples whenever he smiled. He couldn’t look more harmless if he tried! Scoffing to himself, Dan decided to keep quiet and just get through it, so he could lay down in bed and mumble to himself about how his life was unfair and how he would never  _ever_  have friends again.

So he kept to himself at first, letting people pass him by. Nobody tried to make conversation with him during the meal. When he was done eating, Dan followed the other students to the common room, already dreading the long trek to get there every damn day. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he felt someone’s eyes on him, but he didn’t even acknowledge it, doing everything in his power to avoid making eye contact with anyone until he could get acquainted with the fact that the sorting hat seemed to see something in him he wasn’t sure he possessed.

Across the hall, a boy with beautiful blue eyes stared unblinkingly at the sad Slytherin kid, who practically dragged himself out of the Great Hall, eyes downcast. Compassion ran through him as he remembered his own reaction to being sorted to Hufflepuff a mere year ago. It was a tough time for him, and he felt sorry for the kid, who looked quite unhappy with his fate. He told himself that if he ever found the boy again, he would make sure he was doing all right in his new arrangement. One year had passed since his first time at the school, but he knew how scary it was to face your first days at Hogwarts.

* * *

The next morning was starting and Dan was curled up in his bed, wide awake. He hadn’t managed to sleep at all during the night, overthinking every single moment of the sorting. He was  _so sure_  he would end up being a Hufflepuff or something like that. He liked to think of himself as kind and loyal; these were the harmless qualities he thought he could possess.

He would be okay with being a Ravenclaw, too, even if he was pretty sure he wasn’t smart enough. Sure, he wasn’t dumb, but Dan didn’t consider himself above average enough to deserve that. He scoffed at the thought of being sorted into Gryffindor like his parents. Like  _that_  was ever going to happen! He definitely wasn’t heroic or brave or anything of the sort. He was just plain old Dan, just another kid, really.

It made him think that the sorting hat just put him in Slytherin for the lack of a better choice, but he soon discarded the idea. The hat was far too wise to just randomly place him there. He needed to have  _something_ that made the hat see him belonging there, even if he himself couldn’t see it yet.

He didn’t really know much about the house he was sorted into, but he never felt like he would fit in there. Maybe it was because he was raised into a household where both of his parents only told stories about Hogwarts from a Gryffindor’s perspective, but he only heard awful things about Slytherin so far. It was where most dark wizards came from, after all. He figured it must have earned its reputation.

He spent all night stressing over the fact that maybe the hat saw evil in him somehow and that was why he ended up having to tie the green and silver accessory around his neck when he finally got up to get ready for his first actual day in Hogwarts.

The day went by swimmingly for Dan. He quite liked learning when it was something he was interested in. He was used to magic, as his parents were both wizards and introduced him to it pretty early on, but it was still interesting to learn some new things. He groaned to himself in realization, facepalming in the middle of the hallway. He was _already_  the nerdy kid, wasn’t he? He had just gotten into the school and he was already so happy about learning! The boy just sighed, shaking his head. Another reminder that Dan Howell just wasn’t cool.  _How the hell would I ever fit in with the intimidating Slytherins?_  he thought to himself, walking down the stairs. He was as lonely as he had always been in this new magical place, where he was promised so much.

* * *

When Dan’s owl brought him a letter on the next morning, he cringed. He had written his parents a quick letter the previous night letting them know about the sorting, but he wasn’t really expecting an enthusiastic response. He wasn’t seeing the bright side of what had happened either, so why would his parents? They would just think he was a freak like everyone else probably did. Sighing again in resignation, Dan opened the letter and started reading.

He didn’t really remember making his way back to his own bed, but his legs must have carried him there as he stared at the letter, lost in his thoughts. The disappointment in his mother’s writing came through as clear as if he could hear her voice, implicitly showing how much of a failure he really was. She could barely conceal the disappointment dripping through the ink, just like she usually did when it came to anything about him these days. Tears rolling down his cheeks, Dan fell asleep clutching the letter to his chest between heaving sobs and the endless question in repeat:  _Why could I never be normal and fit in just once?_

His housemates exchanged looks of concern the following morning when he walked into the common room. They either heard his sobbing or saw the way he dragged himself, as if a heavy weight had settled down on his shoulders. Most of the other first years seemed to flinch away from him, whispering between themselves, probably weirded out by his antisocial behavior. There was one girl who tried to ask him what was wrong, compassion burning in her eyes, but he just shook his head and left to get his breakfast once again, hoping the classes could take his mind off of things for a while.

* * *

“What’s up with that kid?” a male voice whispered, a bit too loudly next to the tall boy a the Hufflepuff table.

“I don’t know, man. He just looks so sad all the time,” the girl said as her caramel colored eyes stared shamelessly at the kid sitting alone at the end of the Slytherin table. “Shouldn’t someone go talk to him? Find out what’s wrong?”

“Well, I don’t know about you,” another voice piped up, and everyone’s heads turned the way of the Gryffindor boy who stopped to gossip with them for a moment. “But if I were sorted into Slytherin, I would be sad too, you know? It’s like the worst thing that could happen! He’s just a kid,” the boy said, shaking his head. “That’s brutal!”

“Shut up, Chris,” the first boy - PJ was his name - interjected, shaking his head, “don’t you start bullying that kid already! He’s probably just adjusting to being in Hogwarts and feeling homesick, right Carrie?” The boy turned over and addressed the girl alongside him, who nodded vigorously.

“I still think someone should talk to him, though. I hate to see him being so sad,” she replied, eyes full of pity.

“Leave the kid alone, he has enough problems being sorted into  _that_ house,” Chris snickered, moving away to his own table as Carrie huffed at him, shaking her head.

“I’ll never understand why people fight so much over Hogwarts houses! It’s not like it’s that important,” she said with finality as her peers seemed to agree.  The conversation was dropped and moved on to another topic soon after.

The blue-eyed boy, however, didn’t stop staring at the kid sitting alone, still looking so miserable on his own. It gave him flashbacks to school before Hogwarts. He saw himself in the muggle world, sitting on his own at the end of a table, too awkward to talk to people. It reminded him of the person he promised not to be anymore after he went to Hogwarts. He remembered making an effort to have real friends this time around and not just let himself be invisible like he did back in regular school.

The dejected Slytherin kid reminded him again of how miserable he used to be, lonely and afraid. Taking a deep breath, the boy decided he needed to talk to that kid and find out how to help him. And it had to happen that night.

* * *

Dan was sitting on his own again. Only this time he was actually outside, watching the view. Hogwarts was a beautiful place, that much he could admit. He really enjoyed the classes as well. But the initial disappointment had yet to wear off, if he was being completely honest with himself. It’s not like he was expecting to be a Gryffindor, but he still couldn’t quite get over the fact that he had the qualities of a Slytherin in the first place.

_Why are stupid Hogwart houses important anyway? Who thought it was a good idea to segregate people who have something in common? It sounds so absurd and dumb_ , Dan thought to himself. Why should he worry about any of that crap? He was just a kid trying to fit in, he didn’t need to worry so much about things.  _Stupid sorting hat_.

“I don’t know, I always thought the sorting hat could be very wise,” a male voice said and Dan had a minor heart attack, realizing he must have mumbled some of that aloud. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” the voice continued, a tall boy plopping down next to him on the grass.

“W-who are you?” Dan asked, still slightly jumpy from the unexpected appearance of the other student, still not sure if he was brave enough to face the older boy.

“I’m Phil,” the smile could be heard in his voice, even if Dan still didn’t fully face the boy. “I saw you on your own and I thought I would say hi. I wasn’t expecting you to be talking to yourself, though. Is that just something you do?” Dan could hear the gentleness in his voice despite the first layer of mockery. He already liked this Phil guy.

“Shut up! No, I don’t,” he smiled, jokingly pushing him away.

“Ouch, you’re violent as well,” Phil pouted, stroking his own arm.

It was then that Dan decided it was time to face the first boy who actually approached him so far. He sounded nice enough, so he figured he should at least work up the courage to look at him in the eyes and introduce himself. Dan wasn’t actually prepared to the sight that awaited him.

You’d think that his gorgeous blue eyes would be the most noticeable feature right away. But for Dan, it was completely different. He saw the angles on his face (that would definitely mature to be quite sharp, despite his still young complexion), the elegance of his lanky body. He was quite tall and had a fringe similar to his own, only his hair was darker and looked softer, falling perfectly on his forehead.

Dan knew he was staring, but he couldn’t look away from the gentleness of his eyes. The icy color that would usually make anyone look more intimidating just looked warm, inviting. His slightly crooked lips formed a little smirk that made Dan falter for a minute. He didn’t realize how weird he must have looked until the boy cleared his throat and looked away. He swore he saw a bit of red tinge the paleness of his cheeks.

“I’m Dan,” the boy said, so loudly he startled himself. It was hard to hold himself together and not to facepalm over his own awkwardness, but he managed to do it.

“Hey, Dan,” Phil gave him a full smile this time, hesitating before he continued, sounding very honest. “I don’t want to bother you, sorry, but you seemed so sad earlier and I thought you shouldn’t be so alone all the time, you know?”

“Yeah,” Dan winced, looking down again, “about that…”

“I know,  _stupid sorting hat_ ,” Phil quoted back and when Dan looked up he had that sympathetic gaze again. “Are you not happy with your Hogwarts house, Dan?”

“No, it’s just,” he sighed to himself. “I know it’s dumb, but my parents are Gryffindors and I hate to be the black sheep. I’m the worst son ever already, they must be very disappointed with me.”

“HEY,” Phil interrupted, frowning. “No, you’re not! Your house doesn’t determine the kind of person you are, Dan. You can be whoever you want to be. You don’t need to be like everyone else says you should.”

“That’s easy for you to say,  _Hufflepuff,_ ” Dan joked back, staring pointedly at his tie.

“HEY, I’ll have you know we are loyal  _and_  friendly,” he laughed, and Dan saw a little bit of tongue poking out of his mouth behind his hand. “Yeah, maybe people don’t fit us into boxes as much as the other houses. But you don’t have to worry about that, Dan. It’s your future, you can do whatever you want with it.”

“I know that,” Dan whined, finally staring into Phil’s eyes as he proclaimed his biggest fear ever since he got sorted, “but I’m scared that the hat saw me as someone who would practice black magic… You know? What if it saw evil in me that I don’t see yet?”

“You don’t look evil to me,” the older boy frowned, cocking his head to the side a little bit, briefly reminding Dan of a puppy. “Are you evil, Dan?”

“No,” he scoffed at the idea. “I wouldn’t hurt a fly to be honest.”

“So why are you letting a stupid hat tell you who you are?” Phil complimented, matter-of-factly.

“You said it yourself: the hat is very wise. What if it saw something I can’t see?”

Dan could sense the desperation for answers in his own voice, regretting the amount of honesty he put into each word. He didn’t know why he trusted this Phil guy so much right from the start. Instead of giving him a straight answer, the boy just lay down in the grass and stared up at the sky, surrounded by the glow of the sun. Dan decided to join him after a few seconds of disbelief at his antics, dropping down next to him.

Phil chanced a glance at him and gave him a little smile, crossing his arms behind his head for support. Dan couldn’t really look away from the sunbeams illuminating his body, making his paleness even more alluring. It was a new feeling stirring up inside him and he felt like it was wrong, so he did all he could to shut it off. He had always known that he wasn’t really straight, but he never thought about labelling himself. Deep down he was afraid that liking boys might be another thing his parents may not approve of.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Dan looked up at the sky as well, trying to make sense of the hat’s choice. He could hardly see another option besides the hat seeing something dark inside him, something that could equate him to the biggest dark wizards in history. He shuddered at the thought. He was just Dan, why would he ever turn evil?

“I can hear you thinking from here,” the boy turned his head and pointedly stared at his face. “Stop it.”

“I can’t just stop it! I’m worried I might turn evil,” he paused and frowned before continuing, uncertain, “aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Scared that you’re just befriending a future… Monster?” the words tasted vile in his mouth.

“Why would I? You said you’re not evil and I trust you, Dan,” he smiled again, reassuring and warm. “You’re the only one who thinks that, you know? Slytherin is not the evil house, Dan.”

“What else is there to it?” he mumbled, sadly.

“Well, it’s the house of the greatest leaders, for one,” he counted it in his fingers, staring unblinkingly at the younger boy, “it’s also all about having ambition and working hard to get places using whatever resources you need. So Slytherins are determined and a little bit obstinate, just like you’re being right now with this whole ‘I’m going to turn evil’ thing,” he mock-imitated Dan’s voice during the sentence, sounding extra whiny.

“Excuse you, I do  _not_  sound like that,” Dan whined.

“Yeah, you do,” he giggled.  _Giggled!_  Dan was so done with how cute that boy was! “Slytherins are also clever and all about surviving and saving themselves, above everything else… But that’s just the stereotype. It doesn’t mean anything,” Phil shrugged, letting the hand that was counting down the qualities fall down next to him in the ground.

“You’re quite stubborn yourself, aren’t you?” Dan said, grumpily. When Phil glanced at him he could see the gratitude in his eyes and a little smile appearing on his lips. “I can respect that, hufflepuff boy.”

“Hey, now, what have I  _just_  said about not fitting house stereotypes? I could  _totally_  be a Gryffindor, right?” he laughed. “I can already see that! Me as a majestic lion,” he made a deep silly voice in the end.

“Yeah, in your  _dreams_ ,” Dan joked back, smiling fully now and laying his head back down in the grass, looking up at the beautiful sky.

“HEY! You have a dimple,” Phil enthused, poking his cheek excitedly like a child.

“You shouldn’t laugh at disformity,” Dan complained, trying to bite Phil’s finger.

“Feisty,” Phil shot back, laying down next to him again.

The boys just lay there side by side for a long time, resting in contemplative silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. It was just companionship as they suddenly realized they may have found something great in each other’s quiet company.

* * *

The thought of having a friend in Phil was a comfort for Dan. He started to look for the positive side of being a Slytherin more often. If he managed to be likeable to someone like Phil, then he couldn’t be that bad after all, right? So he convinced himself that being a Slytherin wasn’t as awful as he first thought. He was finally able to open up more. Despite the fact that he was still an awkward kid, he managed to make some idle conversation with some classmates and even find some acquaintances along the way.

It wasn’t really that hard to find people to talk to after he snapped out of that funk. The girl with the kind eyes who tried to help him the other day turned out to be pretty nice and they became quite close. Her name was Louise, and Dan couldn’t see how she would ever turn evil either, so he had to reluctantly accept - after some insistence from Phil - that not all Slytherins were  _that_ bad.

Dan kept meeting Phil outside of the castle to talk about anything and everything. He found out so many things about the Hufflepuff guy, and he was always fascinated by all the things he had to say. As Dan grew up in a wizard lineage, he had no contact with any muggles. So hearing Phil’s stories about the muggle world was amusing to say the least. He loved listening to Phil talk about his muggle family and the crazy times they had! Even for muggles, they sounded very peculiar.

All the little snippets of Phil’s life were so precious to him. He found himself cry-laughing over his stupid jokes even when he tried not to, and exasperated by his totally out-of-place comments. His random animal facts - both from the muggle world and the realm of magical creatures - were both amusing and totally endearing. Deep down, his sense of humor was just as sarcastic and dark as Dan’s, so more often than not Dan’s snide comments would send him in a fit of laughter that would make his tongue poke out of his mouth, despite his attempts at covering it with his hand.

They would often lay down in the grass together during that first year. Phil would tell some random fascinating story about the muggle world and Dan would just stare at him in complete awe over how much they were able to do without using any magic. Then they would just lay down in silence for a while, side by side.

Nobody but them was allowed to know about that one time, when, out of the blue, Dan reached out and put his hand over Phil’s on the grass.

And If Phil’s heart skipped a beat at the warmth of Dan’s hand covering his own, nobody was supposed to know that either.

Not yet, anyway.

* * *

“Why do you always disappear after lunch, Dan?”

“W-what do you mean?” The awkwardness and defensiveness showed through and Dan could actually see Louise’s eyes lighting up in realization.

“Oooohh is it a GIRL? Does Danny have a girlfriiieend???” Louise sing-songed, taken over by fits of uncontrollable laughter at his exasperated expression.

“Louise, look at me! I’m just an awkward potato, why would you ever think that?” he felt his cheeks growing hot and tried to refrain from swearing out loud.

“Now, don’t be a liar! I can see you daydreaming when you think I’m not paying attention! Who is she? Is she a Slytherin too?” She was so enthusiastic, Dan didn’t have a heart to actually be angry at her for being so nosy.

“There’s no girl!” Ok, maybe a  _little bit_  angry, then.

“Hey, don’t give me all that attitude, mister,” she frowned. “I’m just curious! But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” he said, sighing.

“Ok, if that’s how it’s gonna be,” she mumbled back, walking away.

“What do you mean by that? LOUISE?!” he yelled back, but she had just left the common room. He brought his hand to cover his face, knowing she would be up to something very soon.

* * *

“DAN!” Phil yelled, waving as he saw Dan walking down to their very own spot to cloud gaze. Dan approached him and plopped down, grunting with an angry face, “What’s up? Are you… Okay?” he felt so unsure at Dan’s tempestuous expression.

“Yeah, Louise has been annoying me, that’s all,”

“Oh, okay,” he replied and Dan looked at him quizzically, waiting for an appropriate reaction. “Oh right! Nooo, that’s terrible! What has she done this time?” he said, pretending to be concerned.

“Shut up,” Dan sputtered back, a fond smile on his lips. “You’re the worst liar ever! You don’t even care.”

“Sorry,” Phil shrugged, giving him a half smile. “But, hey, I brought you something!”

“What?” Dan jumped back up, excitedly.

“This!”

Phil showed him a little device that he never saw before. Dan frowned at him, not understanding what it would ever be for. Phil patiently taught him how to use his old ipod. He had pre-filled it with some of his own favorite songs, excited to share this bit of the muggle world with Dan.

It was one of Phil’s favorite activities to listen to Muse and forget about his own problems, so he hoped Dan would soon feel the same way. He also taught him a little spell to keep the thing charged and Dan was filled with excitement, dimples in full display the whole time. Phil didn’t really know why the muggle world was so fascinating for the boy. It was just all ordinary for him. But he would do anything to see that smile more often, so he kept providing Dan with muggle objects.

Hiding in the corner, unknown to both of them, was Louise, watching Dan’s eyes light up with childish delight, and watching Phil smile. It was like seeing Dan’s happiness was everything he himself needed to be so happy. That was why she knew she would keep their secret safe. Louise silently headed back to the Slytherin chamber, smiling to herself at her discovery.

* * *

Louise did keep her word, but people started to notice eventually. No matter how much she tried to pass it off as Dan being weird and antisocial, the other Slytherin kids realized that Dan was missing more often than not. Not that they cared that much about him, but the house had a reputation to uphold and most of them took it very seriously. So when Jack one day stumbled upon the scene of second-year Dan Howell and third-year Phil Lester laughing together, sitting so close they might as well be on each other’s laps, the rumors quickly started to spread around Hogwarts.

It wasn’t even the rumors of him being gay that upset Dan. It was the mean whispers whenever he entered the common room. The angry looks. The hushed voices, calling him a freak. The weird boy who had a thing with that even weirder hufflepuff guy. The worst part: a  _muggleborn_  Hufflepuff boy. Nobody really wanted to associate themselves with Dan anymore at this point - apart from Louise - and he would have been okay with that if it didn’t sting to see the way they talked about his best friend, with such disdain in their eyes and venom in their voices.

Dan lashed out. He grew colder, more distant. His eyes lost that shine of the shared laughter with Phil every afternoon. Their meetings became farther apart and Dan felt the bitterness at the tip of his tongue. He was more and more withdrawn and would snap at people for the smallest things. Louise just looked at him with sad eyes whenever he said he didn’t feel like going outside yet another day. He knew she meant well, but the pity in her eyes did nothing to rid the bad taste from his mouth.

The worst part was when he glanced at the Hufflepuff table and saw Phil sitting there, surrounded by friends of his own and yet seeming so lonely. He had a dejected air about him lately, throwing longing glances Dan’s way whenever the boy wasn’t paying attention. His friends were all concerned about how quiet and withdrawn he had been recently. He didn’t want to admit that not having those little moments to share with Dan anymore made him feel like he did something wrong. It had to be his fault somehow, right?

“Phil? Are you okay?” Carrie inquired, nervously observing Phil’s slumped posture as he stared at his lap.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” he said, sighing.

“You don’t look fine, mate. Is there something that’s been bothering you recently? You know you can tell us, right?” PJ asked, as kindly as possible.

“It’s fine, guys,” was all the reply they got as Phil got up. “I have to go now. See you later.”

“Damn, he’s really off recently, isn’t he?” Carrie whispered as he left, staring at his back.

“Do you think something happened?” PJ replied.

“Yeah, I think this is related to the Slytherin guy… Dan, right? Phil was talking about him nonstop and now they don’t seem to hang out much anymore. In fact,” she looked at the Slytherin table and saw the boy sitting alone, looking dejected and angry, “It looks like he’s acting weird too.”

“Do you think they had a fight?” Chris’ voice piped up and Carrie jumped.

“Oh my God,  _don’t do that!_  You scared me,” she complained. “Yeah, I think that’s likely.”

“We don’t know anything for sure,” PJ tried to calm down the mood, as he saw the anger in Chris’ eyes.

“We better not find out he hurt Phil or I’ll fuck him up,” Chris threatened, angrily glaring at the Slytherin boy. “Never trusted that kid!”

“Hey, mind your language,” Carrie shushed him, harshly. “Nobody is fighting! We just need to talk to Phil and find out what is really going on.”

“Fine, I’ll let it be for now,” the Gryffindor replied, getting up to go away. “But if you need my help, just say so.”

They just nodded, having no intention of causing a conflict between Dan and Chris. The boy walked back to his own house’s table as they observed Dan, still sitting on his own. He looked slightly angry still, but his stare was vacant, as if his mind were elsewhere. They pretended not to notice when he looked at their table and stared longingly at the spot Phil had occupied earlier, his whole posture deflating when he saw the vacant seat.

* * *

The peace didn’t last long because Phil became more and more withdrawn, not giving his friends straight answers about his sudden change in mood. PJ and Carrie didn’t really know how to help him, so Chris decided it was about time he stepped in and settled this situation in his own way.

“Howell,” a male voice called, aggressively. When Dan turned over he was faced by a shorter Gryffindor, who seemed mad at him for some reason. “What’s up between you and Phil Lester?”

“Why do you care?” he sassed back, matching the other’s tone.

“Phil is upset and I bet you’re involved in this, aren’t you?”

“Well, I don’t know what rumours you’ve been listening to, but there’s nothing going on between Phil and me,” Dan almost growled, staring him down. “Now let me go! I have no idea why he would send you after me.”

“I can’t just let my friend be hurt by someone like  _you_ ,” Chris spit out the last word, pointedly staring at Dan’s green and silver tie.

“What about me, huh? What’s wrong with me?” his voice was rising and some students were starting to pay attention to their very public altercation.

“You’re just like all the others! What would he see in a Slytherin? You’re probably manipulating him to get something,” Chris spat, eyeing him up with disgust.

“Well, fuck me then! How is any of this my fault?  _He_ decided to be my friend! Fuck off!” Dan argued back, raising his voice.

“I won’t until you apologize about whatever shit you pulled on him,” he growled back.

“Why would I? I didn’t do anything,” the boy kept staring at him, his arms crossed. “Of course you won’t believe me! Look, mate, I have no problem with you. Just let me be, okay?” He tried to keep walking but Chris stopped him again, shoving him back.

“Not until I find out why Phil’s been acting so weird.”

“Why don’t you ask  _him_? I have  _nothing_  to do with Phil! Let me go!” he demanded loudly, eyes filled with badly-concealed fury. His hand was subtly reaching towards his wand, ready to defend himself at all costs.

The sound of hurried footsteps followed by a gasp of surprise were heard as someone approached, rushing to the boys arguing in the middle of a corridor.

“Chris, what do you think you’re doing?!” Phil demanded, standing between the two boys, who were staring each other down.

“Teaching this twat some manners?” he replied, glancing at Phil before looking back at his adversary.

“You  _wish_ , shithead!” Dan said back, making the boy grab him roughly, intent on pressing him against the nearest wall just to scare him off.

“STOP IT,” Phil yelled, prying Chris away from Dan.

“Call off your guard dog, Phil,” Dan mocked, glaring at Chris as Phil pulled him away.

“Chris, stop! I never asked for help! Why are you doing this?” he whispered to his friend, eyes filled with tears. “Stop trying to hurt him! What are you even trying to do?”

“You’re lucky Phil likes you, Howell,” he stared back at Dan, challenging. “I won’t get my wand out and make a bigger mess, but I’ll keep an eye on you, Slytherin boy.”

Chris sauntered away and Dan sighed in relief. He was terrified at the possibility of getting into an actual fight, feeling the hand that reached for his wand shaking. Dan turned his back at Phil, seething in quiet anger. He couldn’t believe the scene they just made in the middle of the castle’s corridor! Everyone around was looking at them, watching the whole thing play out. Dan was outraged that Phil would do something like that instead of talking to him. It was something between only the two of them and now the whole school was involved on this.

“Dan, I…”

“Don’t! Not here,” Dan angrily cut him off, grabbing his arm and dragging him to a place away from all the curious eyes of other students.

He didn’t even realize he was dragging him outside to their very own little hideaway until they were there. Dan let go of his friend’s arm and took a deep breath, turning his back on Phil again. All the feelings he had bottled up and all the insecurities about this whole situation started to surface again and he could feel it boiling inside of him. The anger was like a living thing, worming its way inside his heart and turning him into someone he really didn’t want to be.

“Dan, look…”

“Did you have to do that? Why would you, Phil?” Dan lashed out, turning around to stare at Phil. “Tell your fucking body guard to attack me in front of everyone? Do you have any idea how humiliating that scene was? What did I even  _do_  to you?”

“Do you really think I asked him to do that?” Phil sounded disappointed with a hint of anger Dan was definitely not used to hearing in his voice.

“What am I supposed to think? He just comes up to me like he’s your fucking protective boyfriend or something!” he couldn’t quite hide his disgust at the words, jealousy taking over.

“It’s not…”

“NO! I don’t wanna hear it!” Dan raised his voice, almost shouting now, gesticulating wildly, “I don’t care what you have to say! Whatever problems you have with me are only between  _you and me_! You have no right to involve other people into this shit!”

“Why are you so angry about Chris stepping in? It’s not like you cared about how I felt  either. It’s not like you tried to talk to me at all these last few weeks, Dan!” Phil’s voice started to raise in volume and his fists were clenched, looking right into the other’s eyes.

“I don’t want the entire Hogwarts to meddle into our issues, Phil, that’s why! I don’t give a fuck about that pretentious asshole!”

“Oh,” realization dawned in his eyes and it made something cold crawl up Dan’s spine, “That’s your problem, huh? You’re just ashamed because people will talk about us being together, just like they did before. Are you ashamed of  _me_?” his voice broke the tiniest bit, even though he didn’t raise his voice, and Dan could feel it taking a little bit of his heart with it.

“No, Phil, that’s not…”

“Yes, it is! That’s why you’ve been avoiding me,” Phil said as he turned away, getting angry. His anger was filled with ice, whilst Dan’s burned like wildfire. Fire quickly turned into ashes, but Dan wasn’t so sure if the icy coldness of Phil’s rage would melt anytime soon.

“Phil, hear me out…”

“ _Now_  you want me to listen to you? Where were you all this time when I…?” he scoffed, interrupting himself. “Here I was, thinking I must have  _upset_ you somehow to make you so distant! Well, I was wrong again,” he turned back and faced Dan, his whole posture stiff with anger. “Maybe I was wrong about everything. Maybe you were right all along.”

“A-about what?” he knew what Phil’s next words would be. He could feel them in the heavy uneasiness that permeated the air around them. He just hoped Phil wouldn’t say it. Saying it would make his biggest fear ever since the sorting much more real.

“Maybe there’s nothing good about Slytherin, after all. Maybe everyone was right and you  _are_  all selfish. Maybe you never even cared.” Tears were glistening in his eyes, but his cold demeanor hadn’t changed at all.

“You don’t mean that,” Dan pleaded, tears threatening to fall. He felt his voice breaking and his hands shaking. He didn’t know how much of what he was feeling was anger anymore.

“No, I really do. Please, Dan, just go,” Phil’s voice broke and he wouldn’t meet Dan’s eyes, staring down at the ground, jaw clenched shut.

“Phil, I didn’t…” he tried to begin, tears falling down his face. The boy was interrupted by a sob that he couldn’t hold back, prompting him to just give up and turn away, running back to the Slytherin chambers. Dan usually never ran, but this was definitely an exception in his book. He wanted to outrun the heartbreak, undo the whole fight, but he knew that was the one thing he could never do.

* * *

Louise came back to the Slytherin common room after her classes to find Dan huddled up in a corner, head on his knees, badly-concealed sobs shaking him to the core. She wordlessly pulled him into a hug, feeling his tears soaking up her uniform. She stroked his hair, shushing him softly whenever he tried to apologize. She felt her own heart break piece by piece as the boy cried in her arms, hopeless once again. Broken.

She didn’t even need to ask him anything. She could feel through every shiver and whimper that he was damaged. Louise felt a brief flare of anger at the one responsible for this, but it dissipated when she looked down at the younger boy in her arms, wailing in heartbreak.

She knew the name of the perpetrator like the back of her hand, syllables dancing on the tip of her tongue. The one who held Dan’s heart in his hands had dropped it today, and all she could do was hold him through the pain of the aftermath and make sure he would be able to mend the pieces back together eventually.

* * *

Phil didn’t cry. At least not in public. He acted aloof and distant during the rest of the day and all of his friends noticed he wasn’t quite there. He would just get really quiet and stare at nothing for long intervals until he excused himself to go to bed earlier, laying down on his bed, still feeling quite numb.

Only when he glanced at one of Dan’s stupid little handwritten messages laying there forgotten on his bed, Phil finally felt it. He hugged his pillow to his chest, crying as softly as he could. If his roommates noticed, they did nothing more than exchange a knowing look. They knew there was something wrong with him, but they didn’t know when he would actually allow the emotion to flood through.

Phil just lay there all night, wide awake, wondering why it hurt so bad. If it was never supposed to happen, then why did it burn so much? Why did his heart scream at him, voices yelling that he ruined it.  _Ruined what?_  He’d lost the best thing he’d ever had, even if he wasn’t aware there was something to be lost.

Sobbing on his pillow, Phil felt regret burning deep into his core. His lungs ached with the wasted breath, choking on the words that were once again left unsaid. And this time he was afraid they would forever remain unsaid.

* * *

Things became quite chaotic after that. The Triwizard Tournament begun and it brought lots of excitement. For some reason that Potter kid  got into trouble once again by putting his name in the Goblet of Fire (even if he said otherwise, everyone was a little bit suspicious at that point). The students from other schools also came to Hogwarts. The air was abuzz with a weird sort of excitement, adrenaline. It came from a place of danger, but it was very distracting as far as personal relationships went.

As for Dan and Phil, they stayed as far from each other as possible. Gone were the longing glances. Dan was colder than ever before and whenever he was asked by his teasing classmates about Phil, he would get in a horrible mood and complain about how it was all made up. He and Phil had never actually been close at all, much less being together in any shape or form.

Deep down, Dan knew it was a protective mechanism: the denial kept him going, because in his heart he  _knew_  something  _had_  happened between them. He preferred not to look at it too hard, though. So he distanced himself from anyone outside the boundaries of his own Hogwarts house.

Phil seemed fine again to the public eye. He was always giggling about something or other with his friends, who were relieved to see him getting over the whole fight. His exterior looked as good as ever; he never let anything show. He only suffered all alone, hiding out in the bathroom by himself, breath hitching into overwhelming sobs when he smiled at Dan and got nothing in return.

He knew he should stop looking at him and hoping he could someday have the lazy moments outside staring up at the clouds again. He was, however, a true romantic at heart and couldn’t quite let go of the idea of Dan and Phil laying side by side on the ground, laughing together without a single care in the world. Nobody was supposed to know of the silent tears which stained his pillow every time he remembered their argument. His own words still echoed back to him and no matter how much he regretted them, he was still afraid that somehow they held a lot of truth.

The resentment only grew and they spent almost all of the remainder of Dan’s second year without talking to each other.

* * *

Nobody was sure what their wake-up call actually was at that point, not even Dan and Phil themselves. Maybe it was the tragic ending of the tournament, the dead body of Cedric Diggory lain bare in front of the whole school as Harry clung to it. Maybe it was the realization that death was a possibility and life was too exceedingly short to be wasted in silent seething anger.

No matter what it was, the next day Dan found himself attracted to their spot outside of the castle, intent on laying there by himself and reconsidering his own choices. He regretted every single word he said, but he regretted even more the ones he  _didn’t_ say. The apology was on the tip of his tongue, dying to leave his lips as Dan contemplated the real danger that permeated Hogwarts recently.

He never expected to find Phil already there, lain down looking at the sky just like they used to. He quickly glanced at Dan and averted his eyes back to the clouds, lightly patting the space next to him on the ground. It seemed like no time at all had passed, like Phil never left that very same spot. Dan lay down next to him, silently staring at the sky again and wondering where he’d get the courage to say something.

He felt Phil’s eyes staring at him, but he didn’t avert his own from the sky. The older boy seemed to understand, laying his head down again. The silence wasn’t oppressive like in every other occasion they’d been near each other after the fight. It was just the opposite: it reminded them of the good old times, when they would laugh together over some story from the muggle world alongside each other for hours.

Suddenly, Dan understood: he didn’t need to say anything. Not really. He felt his heart warming up, turning his head to sneak a peek at Phil’s face. His blue eyes shone in the light of the day and Dan wondered why he was stupid enough to ever give this up over his own damn pride.

Glancing down, he noticed Phil’s hand was turned palm up on the ground between them and he took the chance. Reaching out, Dan fit his hand into Phil’s, intertwining their fingers while making sure not to glance Phil’s way.

Slightly dazed at this turn of events, Phil turned his head again to stare at Dan. He saw a light blush on his cheeks, but the boy didn’t look at him. He smiled to himself and squeezed the boy’s hand, feeling warmth making its way into his heart once again after so long. It felt like an eternity since the last time they had been like this, but they seamlessly fit together again, just like they always should.

Staring up at the sky in the extraordinary school of Hogwarts, all they could think about was how wonderfully ordinary life could be in the simplest of gestures. No spell could be as powerful as the feeling in their chests, ready to burst in pure exhilaration. They were finally together again and nothing else mattered.

* * *

The hands of the clock kept on spinning. Even under every threat Hogwarts would face during Harry’s journey - and, boy, were there many! - time was unrelenting and so was life. For Dan and Phil, life went back to laying down in the grass together, sharing every moment of solitude with each other. Their friends noticed that their smiles were back at the same time as their disappearances grew more frequent. It wasn’t hard to guess that they were back now.

Dancing around their feelings seemed to be the norm to them. They never needed any words to show each other how dearly they held their company. And yet, Dan and Phil never verbally acknowledged the spark inside their hearts, the shared rhythm of their heartbeats whenever they saw the other’s smile. It would be clear to anyone looking from the outside how they both felt, but they kept everything quiet, going back to best friends. Maybe they were afraid of losing what they had. Maybe it wasn’t really needed to verbalize the feelings deep inside. Regardless, their little dance would continue for quite a while.

The next year held surprises for everyone. The tyranny of Umbridge’s command over Hogwarts was not something students expected, nor something they were prepared to face. When she started with the unfair punishments and all the regulations, it became almost impossible for Dan and Phil to meet. They exchanged sad looks across crowded corridors, being led like sheep. The atmosphere felt sad and hopeless and the boys, while still close, could hardly be together anymore.

They had their little reminders. Phil had the spells Dan taught him: pointless ones meant to create pretty sparkles or beautiful flames, things Dan himself learned when bored in his wizard household. Dan, in return, had some muggle paraphernalia, such as the iPod Phil had given him way back. It was like carrying a piece of his friend, being able to enjoy that music whenever he felt the need to. Soon it became one of his most prized possessions. It all felt bittersweet, but being together wasn’t really an option, as being caught outside the castle would be considered suspicious and also dangerous.

In the one occasion they managed to talk to each other. it was not in the best of circumstances. Dan heard from his friends that Phil had gotten in trouble in transfiguration class over something he said. He didn’t know the details; he just heard that he had to go see Umbridge later in the day. Shuddering at the thought of what punishment she might have had in store for his best friend, Dan hid near her room, waiting for Phil to come back outside.

When Phil came back cradling his hand, a look of pain in his eyes, Dan felt his blood run cold. True fury filled him when he showed him the words engraved in his hand: “You mustn’t talk back to the teacher.” If Phil didn’t hold him back in that moment, Dan was certain that he would have run into her room and teared her a new one himself for causing Phil harm.

As it happened, Dan stood outside, angry as all hell that anyone would  _ever_  do something like that to  _Phil._ Sweet Phil Lester, who held on to him now, hugging him tightly. Comforting  _Dan_  because Umbridge did this to  _him._ He only realized how much he needed the comfort, the warmth of his embrace, when he felt the tears brimming in his eyes at the thought of her evil smirk as she watched him in pain.  _Who gave her the right to hurt my Phil?_  Dan caught himself thinking.

Deep down, Dan was scared of the anger that overcame him. He wanted to make her pay, as painfully as possible. Phil, once again, brought him back to his senses and made him realize he was better than that. And he wondered again what he had done to deserve someone as amazing as this boy truly was, with his heart of gold filled with nothing but forgiveness.

* * *

Besides that one event, Phil’s fourth year went by without an incident. It was made darker by the less frequent encounters with Dan, without them being able to enjoy their hideout, their own place away from everyone else. They did, however, go back to meeting each other. It was more like an adventure, a big escapade this time, but they would sometimes manage to sneak into one of the castle’s many secret passages to hang out. These were the brightest days and it was always like no time had ever passed at all since their first encounter. Precious moments filled with laughter and warmth were something that they both treasured.

The rumours were more at bay now that Dan and Phil were not so obviously together, but people still talked. There were still knowing smiles exchanged between Louise and Dan whenever they spotted Phil somewhere close by, shamelessly staring at the younger boy. She still pestered him about them being together, but Dan vehemently denied the accusations, trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes at the truth in his words.

Phil’s friends still groaned when they caught him looking over at the Slytherin table, asking him when they were  _finally_  going to get together. Phil would blush and stutter, but he never denied the feeling completely. Chris still huffed whenever he caught Phil’s soft looks at the Slytherin boy who hurt him, still holding a slight grudge over that argument from a long time ago.

Whenever they managed to be together, there was a feeling of being just out of reach. Just a little bit off, a step away from something great. None of them made a move, so that was the way it remained for a while. They were absolutely comfortable around each other and they knew all their deepest secrets. All apart from the most important one, buried under the awkwardness of the unsaid: the undeniable joy they felt whenever they were together, the urge to get closer, to feel each other’s breath on their skin, to feel their electric touch all over their bodies, to come undone in front of each other for the first time.

They did nothing of the sort. Dan and Phil stayed right where they were, happy enough to have that unbreakable bond everyone else seemed to speculate about. They were comfortable in the knowledge that somehow they belonged with each other. And they had convinced themselves things were totally fine the way they were between them, even if there still seemed to be a little piece missing. They couldn’t quite put their finger on that yet, though, so they decided to just let it be.

* * *

It was the ending of Dan’s fourth year and everything was different. Dumbledore’s death came as quite the shock, and nobody really knew what to expect after that point. Hogwarts’ atmosphere felt unsettling, surreal and unsafe. Every single day of regular classes could be the last, the threat looming bigger and bigger in the horizon. While some attempted to turn a blind eye, others lived in fear, all too aware that everything could go wrong in the blink of an eye. These were the ones who were not fortunate enough to forget, the ones who had a lot to lose. The ones whose loved ones were involved on either side of the impending war.

And yet life moved on, as it usually did.  No stopping the clocks, the schedules, the calls to yet another class. Always moving forward with machine-like precision. There were spells to learn, potion preparations to master, magical animals to learn how to handle - Phil’s favorite subject - and also protection spells against darkness - ironically, Dan’s favorite, but not for the reasons one must first think.

There was no reason for it to feel so final, but it did. Maybe it was the threat yet again - _this place is pretty dangerous for somewhere that is supposed to be a school,_ Dan would mockingly tell himself - or maybe it was just the speed of things, time wasting away by the second. It didn’t help that Phil was older and would leave the school one year sooner than Dan himself. Something urged him to take the leap and make a change in the current paralysis they had been living in.

Yet he was too scared to act on it. He wished he was as brave as at two a.m., when he rehearsed to himself what he was going to say before falling asleep. When Dan was really staring at Phil, however, it all went out of the window and he felt himself stuttering on his words. He was never one to be open about his feelings, but Phil was different. In fact, this was the one thing he never quite managed to tell him about. He knew rationally the worst that could happen was that Phil would say no, but it all felt like too much for him and he felt scared and confused.

When it finally did happen, it was nowhere near Dan’s nightly fantasies. They were hanging out as usual, this time sitting very close to each other on the ground, legs touching. They were both content and relaxed, so their guards were down and it was all it took for the moment to happen.

“…And then she went ‘Mr Kendall, do you  _still_  not know what a wand is for?’ and he was like ehhrrmm,” Phil made the impression of Chris’s dumbfounded face in front of the teacher’s wrath. “And she just looked so  _mad_  at him and she asked, ‘have you forgotten how to speak as well, Mr. Kendall?’ and just made him go back to work.”

“OH MY GOD,” Dan laughed. “Serves him right, that asshole!”

“HEY! He’s my friend, you know,” Phil pouted at him for a second before bursting into laughter again. “You’re right, though, he kinda deserved that one.”

“What about you, Mr Perfect Lester?” Dan mocked, smiling at him. “Gotten into any trouble recently?”

“No,” Phil answered with the truth. “Why would I?”

“I don’t know. To live a little? Have some fun? Don’t you ever just want to do something spontaneous and unexpected?”

“Like… What?”

“I don’t know! Anything,” Dan smiled at him shyly, feeling his heartbeat increase as Phil just stared into his eyes for a while, silently. When Dan was wondering what the hell was actually happening, Phil just let out a loud eagle noise, without even breaking eye contact. It startled Dan badly, “OH MY FFFF-PHIL!”

Both of them burst into laughter at that, doubling over. Dan leaned forward as Phil moved towards him, leaning his head on Dan’s chest while he laughed. The older boy almost hid his head on his shoulder, still lost in fits of laughter, little puffs of air hitting Dan’s neck. It felt like something warm filled him up at the knowledge that he had Phil’s body at such close proximity to him. It felt like home to have him leaning on his chest and all he could hope for was that Phil felt the same way.

After the laughter died down, Phil stayed still for a while. He tilted his head up, meeting Dan’s eyes. The warm brown seemed to sparkle as a huge smile pulled his lips. Transfixed, he kept staring at Dan’s face, while still half leaning on him. His heartbeat suddenly sped up, and he saw something in the other boy’s eyes. Something he didn’t recognize but he felt like he did, because it was so similar to what he himself felt. The turmoil of feelings burning inside of him seemed to dance behind Dan’s irises, a question clearly etched into the arch of his eyebrows.

He felt Dan’s breath hitting his face, getting closer. Phil’s heart hammered in his chest and he was overwhelmed by how much he  _wanted_  that. He never had experienced such true desire before, and it was scary. He hadn’t accessed his feelings for Dan ever since their big fight. He wasn’t even sure of how he felt about his own sexuality. Phil felt the conflict take him over while Dan leaned closer and closer, eyes starting to fall closed.

He could close that gap, Phil realized. He could just go for it, no regrets. He was so scared and yet a bravery from deep inside came over him. He was going to do it! For the first time in his life, Phil Lester was going to take a damn chance and show Dan he reciprocated his feelings! It was now or never.

Violently moving forward in his haste, Phil’s nose clashed with Dan’s, a big yelp coming from both of their mouths. Dan held his nose between his hands, tears coming to his eyes because of the impact. Phil jumped back a lot at the scare, but seemed mostly unharmed by the collision.

“OH MY GOD, Dan,” Phil’s mouth fell open, shocked. “I’m so sorry! Are you hurt? Let me see,” he shuffled closer again, reaching out to look at his nose, pulling Dan’s protective hands away. “It’s not too bad! It’s gonna be fine. Not broken or anything, promise,” Phil reassured, taking a deep breath himself knowing he didn’t hurt the boy badly.

Then the adrenaline died down and he felt the shame taking over. Phil wanted to have an invisibility cloak right now and just walk off the edge of the Earth. He just wanted to do something himself, take some charge, and look at what he did by being eager! Fuck, Dan would  _hate_ him now! He couldn’t even look at him, tears starting to fill up his eyes against his will.

“Fuck, that hurt!” Dan complained, still too focused on his own problems to notice Phil. “That was… Huh… Not what I was expecting, to be honest,” he said, jokingly.

Frowning at Phil’s silence, Dan looked at him and saw his dejected expression. He didn’t even realize how Phil must be feeling about the whole thing! The urge to slap his own face at his idiocy almost won over, but he decided speaking would be the best option here.

“Phil,” he asked, softly, “are you hurt?”

“N-no…” was all the answer he got and the boy still didn’t look up.

“Are you… Going to cry or something?” Dan asked, unsure, humor tinging his tone. He was never very good at comforting people, so he made everything into a joke. He saw Phil physically recoil a bit more at that and tried to backtrack. “N-no, sorry, I didn’t…”

“No,  _I’m_  sorry,” Phil steadied himself, taking a deep breath to hold back the tears. “I just wanted to be fun and spontaneous like you said! But I hurt you,” his eyes were so sad staring into Dan’s. All the younger boy could do was hold himself back, trying his hardest not to just try to kiss him again to wipe that look off his face.

After a short internal struggle, Dan groaned, making up his mind. He just reached out and hugged Phil tightly. The boy stayed still in shock for a few seconds and then hugged back just as tightly. Dan felt him smile on the crook of his neck and decided that things would definitely be okay.

“Hey, Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t move.”

One smooth move was all it took for Dan to pull back from the hug and let his lips linger on Phil’s for a second, just an innocent and shy peck. The older boy brought a hand to his lips, surprised at the intensity of the feeling something so small had caused. Dan just smiled at him, still feeling shy and yet proud of finally being brave enough to make his feelings clear for the first time.

Phil smirked, a devilish look on his face that Dan  _definitely_  wanted to see again, as he pulled the Slytherin boy toward him by his tie and kissed him again, hard this time. Dan felt nothing but surprised contentment as Phil’s lips danced against his own, taking his breath away. That was a feeling he definitely hoped to experience many, many times in the days to come.

* * *

Deep kisses shared on the castle’s most hidden corners. Visits to secret rooms they found in their haste to be together. Bodies colliding against walls, kissing breathlessly. Slight movements against each other in the close proximity, seeking friction, always longing for more.

Hidden corridors. Shared giggles when their secrecy was at risk, running away hand in hand at the slightest sound of approaching footsteps. They wouldn’t get caught, though. The novelty and privacy, always on the verge of discovery, fuelled their feverish love. They submerged into each other more and more each day.

Half whispered ‘ _I love you’_ s in passing, meant only for each other’s ears. Every tiny escapade just to be pressed close together, no space between their bodies. The feelings grew as they began to miss each other whenever they were apart, but still wouldn’t risk what they had now. Not after what happened the last time people presumed they were together.

They were careful and yet reckless in the smallest of ways. When they had a class together - not a common occurrence because of their houses - they would find a way to work together and hold hands under the table, concealed from the public eye and yet just so painfully  _there_. Just like everything else they did, they found comfort in the ambiguity, the question in the tip of people’s tongues whenever they noticed the way they looked each other.

Then there were the times when they found privacy in the Room of Requirement, wishing so hard that they could have a place where they could just  _be together_. Their wish was so raw, the desire so deep and honest, that the room provided it. These were the best days, as they lazily made out on the couch, bodies moving in synch. Moaned names, asking for more as the desire ran through them.

Every ragged breath sounded like a desperate plea as the rhythm of their movements, of their love and lust took them over. Every touch felt like they were exactly where they belonged, moaning each other’s name in pure ecstasy as they finally let go in each other’s touch.

It felt like a sin to hold the other in their arms after coming down from their high, cuddling together and silently wondering why they still felt the need to hide something so beautiful.

And the question remained:  _what were they now?_

* * *

Phil’s sixth year in Hogwarts already started out with trouble. Things were getting worse and rumour had it that the darkness was little by little taking over the school. People were whispering all around about the terrible things that were happening and everyone was much more scared now. The suspicion in the air didn’t allow Dan and Phil to be together most of the time, aside from their meetings in one of the castle’s many secret passageways they deemed theirs. It didn’t happen often enough, though, and the feeling of longing for each other grew stronger each day.

In one of these short meetings, Phil decided it was time to confess that he had been engaging into some activities with Dumbledore’s Army. He wasn’t fully a member, but he was learning enough to get by, in case it was needed. Luna had convinced him to try it - he was always able to see how nice she was behind the quirkiness that pushed people away - and he did. While he wasn’t a violent person, he felt the need to learn how to protect himself in the face of danger.

Despite how anxious this new-found knowledge made Dan, he understood where it was coming from. Even if he didn’t fully trust these people - he never really trusted many people if he was being totally honest - he could see why Phil would feel the need to do this. He made the Hufflepuff promise to stay away from trouble himself, hugging him tightly as he tried to convey how much he cared and worried about him.

Phil was clumsy and too kind for his own good, but Dan knew he was a good wizard and he had potential to be great, always so hardworking and smart. Rationally, he understood that it wasn’t exactly dangerous for him to engage in such activities - granted he didn’t actually get  _caught_ doing them, but he couldn’t help but be overprotective and worry way too much.

He couldn’t help but imagine sweet Phil having to fight against dark magic, which was both fascinating and scary as hell in Dan’s opinion, and it terrified him. The slightest possibility of losing his best friend, the one he shared his everything with, was the scariest thing he could ever conceive.

Holding Phil tightly against his chest, Dan wished for peace to come back. His wish wouldn’t be granted until much later, as the war intensified and came closer and closer to their school each passing day.

* * *

“Absolutely NOT!”

“Dan, hear me out…”

“NO! You’re NOT doing that! Are you mental, Phil?!” the Slytherin boy shot back, angrily. “Please don’t tell me you’re really considering this?”

“They need me, Dan! It’s a life or death emergency. The actual battle will break out soon and they need as many people as they can get,” Phil reasoned, placatingly trying to reach out and bring Dan closer, but he was having none of it.

“Yeah,  _your_  death, Phil! What are you even thinking? You could  _actually_ die!” Dan yelled back, anxious.

“I won’t  _die,”_  Phil shot back, mockingly, but some uncertainty leaked into his voice and Dan looked even more exasperated, running his hands through his hair. “That’s not the plan, anyway. I’m sure it will be fine! But they need me, Dan. I can’t back away when there are people counting on me.”

“What people? That Potter kid?! He’s trouble and you  _know_ it, Phil! Everyone back in Slytherin seems to think so!” His hair was messy from his hands grabbing it and he felt his hands shake, desperately trying to convince the Hufflepuff boy the war wasn’t worth losing him.

“No, not just him. I’m doing this for all of us, bear,” he paused, tenderly looking at Dan’s terrified face. “I need you to understand how I can’t just hide, ok? I promised them I would do my best to protect the school. I can’t back out on that when they need me the most. _”_

“I  _know_ , I  _know_ ,” Dan sighed, angrily rubbing his eyes, trying to hold back the tears. “Fuck! Phil, I don’t want you to get hurt!”

“Me neither, Dan,” Phil held the boy’s hands, pulling him closer. His eyes were glued to the floor and Phil could clearly see the tears starting to fill them up despite his best efforts. He felt his own heart break at the sight, trying to calm him down. “No, no, please don’t cry, bear.”

“Of course I’m gonna fucking cry!” Dan answered in a choked up whisper, looking up at Phil as some tears started to roll down his face. “My fucking  _boyfriend_  tells me he’s going to fight in what seems to be one of the biggest wars in the history of the wizarding world! Fuck.” He covered his face with his hands, trying to hold back the emotion.

“Hey, hey,” Phil appeased, putting his arms around the boy. “I’m scared too. We all are! But we’re gonna be okay in the end, you’ll see.”

Dan just let himself be hugged, trying to get his breathing back under control and rid himself of the tears. It reminded him of the muggle movies Phil used to show him, when a guy enlisted for the army and had to leave for a great war, while the sad girlfriend had to stay behind and let him go. He remembered hating these characters, especially the tragic girl who was left behind, passively accepting the man’s departure. Now the shoes suddenly seemed to fit him even tighter and he didn’t know what to do. One death curse and there was no saving him: it would just end.

“So,” Phil said after a few minutes holding him and swaying him gently, his laughter rumbling against Dan’s ear pressed to his chest. “Boyfriend, huh?”

“Shut up, you nerd,” Dan replied, smiling and pushing Phil away.

“OUCH! Still so violent,” Phil pouted again.

This time wasn’t like the first one. This time Dan was prepared to kiss the cute pout away from that beautiful face of his. And that’s what he did, forgetting their troubles for a while and just letting things be.

* * *

They knew the day would come. And when it finally did, no one was completely ready. Harry was in Hogwarts again, asking people to stand with him or to leave the castle to safety. How Dan wished he could grab Phil and just  _leave_ , but the boy wouldn’t have it. Dan watched nervously as Phil joined the group of people who would stay and defend Hogwarts.

While most Slytherins left right away, a few stayed amidst the ones who would fight. Dan stood his ground, nervously looking around at his housemates leaving. He understood their motives: many of them were actually afraid of facing people from their own families. Some of them just had too much to lose and some were just worried about surviving. Dan could respect that, as all he himself wanted to do was grab Phil and run. But he wasn’t leaving that school - now turned into battlefield - without Phil by his side.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Phil whispered into his ear, holding his hand. Nobody was actually paying attention, everyone lost in their own fears.

When Dan gazed back into Phil’s beautiful eyes, however, he saw the fear loud and clear in there, the same as the one who shook him to the core.

He held Phil’s hand more tightly and swore not to let go.

* * *

Ironically, letting go of Phil’s hand was the first thing to happen. People were running and setting up traps to stop the Death Eaters from getting in and it was impossible to stay by each other’s side. Dan felt lost in the middle of all the students, trying to help out whenever he could. A thrumming sense of fear shook up every single student, but no one faltered. They had a battle to fight, after all, and protecting the school was their main goal. They couldn’t get distracted, so everyone kept busy.

Dan didn’t even realize the moment he lost track of Phil. He didn’t realize his boyfriend was nowhere to be seen when spells started to fly through the air, the sounds like electricity through his veins as he tried to run for some cover.

He only realized he was alone when the space next to him in his hiding spot was painfully empty. And then all hell broke loose within the school grounds.

* * *

The sound of Dan’s heartbeat was too loud in his own ears as he ran, dodging stray spells thrown haphazardly around. The sound of things breaking, the yells of pain all around him mixed with the battle cries as spells cut through the air. Dan had only one goal: finding Phil. Nothing would stop him on his search, not even Death Eaters themselves.

He thought being a Slytherin meant caring only about himself. He thought he would be on the side of darkness. He thought there was something inherently wrong about him. And yet here he was, driven only by the will to find the one he wanted to protect the most. The one he couldn’t afford to lose.

The sound of his own footsteps in a mad run echoed around him as he dodged yet another spell. It looked like a nasty one as well, but he managed. The adrenaline kept him running. He didn’t quite know where he was going, but he knew this was not about saving himself only. This was about Phil and he couldn’t screw it up.

A yell came somewhere from his right and Dan saw a hufflepuff girl hitting the ground. At first he thought she was dead, but then he heard the sounds of pain she was making. The soft pleas for mercy as a smiling dark witch approached her, wand in hand.

Dan froze, looking between her and the path to safety. He could just run straight to the left and be safe. A better chance of finding Phil and getting his happy ending lay a few steps to the left, nothing blocking his path.

He knew that getting involved into the girl’s fight had a chance of getting him killed, but he also knew he couldn’t just let her die to save his own ass.  _Oh, fuck it,_  he thought, turning back and raising his wand.

“PROTEGO!”

A protection spell protected the girl’s body and the spell cast by the dark witch ricocheted back at her attacker, who hissed in pain. It wasn’t one of the forbidden curses - thank God, if it were, it probably wouldn’t have been enough to save her! - but it seemed to hurt the one who cast it.

The woman turned around, eyes aflame with rage and saw Dan standing there, doing the best he could to look brave. She looked at him for a second before laughter erupted from her chest as she pointed her wand at him.

“A Slytherin kid? Really?” she smirked, looking him up and down. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave  _now_.”

“What if I don’t?” he shot back, angrily.

“Well, then it’s a pity to waste someone with a talent for greatness, but…” she smirked. “Someone’s gotta do it!”

He saw the light coming out of her wand, the energy of the spell coming toward him. He felt hyper aware of the fact he couldn’t dodge her spell this time. He heard the word ‘sectumsempra’ leave her lips, a few seconds before he felt the gashes in his chest. Dan cried out as the deep cuts made themselves known, pain flaring up at him. He saw someone run toward them and a spell hit the witch. She engaged in battle with someone else after that and seemed to forget about him.

“Howell, you alright?” a voice yelled at him. He looked over to see who had helped him. He couldn’t help but be surprised at finding Chris there on the other side of the wand.

“Y-yeah… I think so, thanks,” Dan answered, slightly dizzy from the adrenaline rush. He was so sure he was going to die, but here he was, still alive.

“I saw what you did for the girl. That was very brave of you, Dan,” he said, smiling at him. “I can tell I was wrong about you before. Are you looking for Phil?”

“Yeah, did you see him?” Dan asked, forgetting his own injuries. He had to concentrate on finding Phil and getting to safety later.

“Sorry, no,” he answered, grimacing. “But… I hope you find him and keep him safe, mate, I really do.” Patting his shoulder in farewell, the guy ran off into the battlefield, eager to find someone else he could help.

Dan didn’t waste any time after that. He broke into a run again, looking everywhere for Phil. He was more careful, taking cover wherever he could. The battle was still crazy and bodies started to litter the floor, the casualties of the war making themselves known. Dan avoided the faces, heart constricting at the thought of finding a familiar one between them. He just kept running, looking for the tall hufflepuff, hoping he would be alive and well. The alternative was too painful to contemplate.

Suddenly, Dan saw him: across the room, taking down someone with a spell, stood Phil Lester. Running toward him, Dan finally felt safety returning to his body. He felt like his legs would give out on him, but he ran even faster, trying to close the gap between himself and Phil.  _Phil’s okay_ , Dan thought, relief washing over him. _We’re gonna get out of this mess_.

When Phil’s eyes met his, he didn’t see the relief he was expecting, though. He saw surprise, closely followed by fear. The boy’s hand stretched out towards Dan, a strangled scream leaving his lips, an aborted warning for something Dan only realized was a threat a moment too late.

An unknown voice yelling “CRUCIO” was the last thing Dan heard before he hit the ground, agony like nothing he ever felt before hitting him like a train.

Then everything turned to black.

* * *

“NO!”

The scream was torn out of Phil’s chest as he watched Dan hit the ground, spasming in agony. Even with the sounds of all the other battles being fought, he could still hear Dan’s indiscriminate yells with absolute clarity, a sound he’d never heard before. It was a primal scream of pain and Phil felt it all in his own heart as he saw Dan’s body writhing on the floor.

“DAN!”

His own yells of the boy’s name resounded in his ears as he drew closer to the scene. Without a single second of hesitation, Phil managed to use a spell to disarm the wizard who was casting the curse on Dan. Before he could retaliate, someone else attacked the wizard and he dropped down. Phil didn’t even check to see if he was dead, but for the first time in his life he wished he was.

Falling to his knees next to Dan, Phil felt himself shake as he looked at his motionless body. After a few agonizing seconds, he noticed the boy was breathing, allowing himself to let out a sigh of relief. Still, Dan was unconscious in the middle of the crazy battle that raged on all around them and Phil had no idea in what state he would be in when he eventually woke up.

“Phil, what happen-?” Carrie called out at him, rushing to his aid. She froze when she saw Dan’s body on the floor, putting a hand in front of her mouth. “Oh my God! Phil, oh my God..” she was speechless, too shocked looking at what Phil presumed she assumed to be the boy’s corpse.

“He’s alive, Carrie,” Phil choked out, looking up at her as he grabbed Dan’s cold hand in his own, “but I need to get him out of here  _fast_!”

“Oh,” she let out a sound of pure relief, snapping back into action after a deep breath. “Ok! I’ll cover both of you, just grab him and run toward the left side of the castle. There’s a secret spot nearby where you can both hide.”

“Thank you so much,” Phil said, and he meant it, picking Dan up bridal style and carrying him to safety. Carrie covered his back, deflecting the spells in their path. He was grateful for how good she was at what she did, running and shielding Dan with his own body as best as he could, whispering sweet nothings in his ear.

When he finally managed to hide his and Dan’s tall frames into a narrow passageway, Phil thanked Carrie profusely and let her go back to the others. He knew he wouldn’t be able to leave Dan’s side, even though he wanted to help. He felt responsible for the younger boy, knowing that Dan wouldn’t even have been there in the first place if it weren’t for him.

He laid Dan’s head down on his lap, gently pulling his fringe out of his face and stroking his hair. He was startled when, seconds later, Dan groaned low in his throat, moving his head to the right. He was coming around!

“Dan? Bear?” Phil called, softly, guiding him back to consciousness.

“Hhhhmmphh… Phil?” he mumbled, followed by a whimper as Phil shushed him and tried to keep him still.

“Sssh, Dan. You’re okay,” he whispered. “But you need to be really still right now.”

The boy’s brown eyes opened and he looked up, letting out a huge breath of relief as the first thing in his line of sight was Phil, who was looking down at him with the saddest look in his eyes. Dan’s brow furrowed in confusion, not knowing where he was or why. Then the pain all over his body made itself known and he remembered exactly why. Just the memory of the agony he went through made him shiver, suddenly feeling very cold. He hissed in pain, grabbing Phil’s hand, wanting to feel him there.

“How are you doing, bear?” Phil used the sweet nickname from his childhood and he couldn’t help but give him a little smile.

“B-better now,” Dan replied, not realizing how weak and shaky his own voice sounded until he heard it. Clearing his throat, hurt from all the yelling, he licked his lips nervously.

“You have no idea how worried I was, Dan.”

“Yeah, same,” he replied, smiling up weakly at Phil. “We’re okay, though, right?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” Phil replied, sneakily drying up the tears Dan didn’t realize were staining his boyfriend’s cheeks until now. “Does it really hurt?”

“Not so much now. I’m just really sore. And there are some wounds in my chest from another spell that hit me before I found you,” Dan said, deciding that honesty was always the best strategy in these occasions. No use pretending to be stronger than he was.

“Good. That’s a relief,” Phil mumbled back, shaking his head. “I was really scared out there when I saw you…” he stopped, clenching his fist in anger. He ran a hand through his own hair, messing it up in his nervousness. “I’m really happy to see you again, bear.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Phil,” the younger boy replied, grunting as he tried to get up from his lap. “Now help me up, please?”

Phil rushed to his aid, carefully supporting his body until he was in a sitting position. There wasn’t much space for their tall frames, so they ended up pressed close together, Dan’s head rested on Phil’s chest and he tried to catch his breath. He wasn’t fit for fighting right now and that much was obvious. Phil carefully put his arm around him, hugging him to his chest and resting his chin on top of his head.

The noises continued outside of their safe nest. But as Phil held Dan in his arms again, thankful for the fact that he still had him, he felt the boy’s breath get deeper and he realized the boy had fallen asleep on his arms. He finally allowed himself to let the tears fully fall then, rocking them both slightly in comfort.

He promised himself that if they got out of that war alive, he wouldn’t be afraid of telling people how he felt about the boy in his arms ever again. The one who, he was now positive, he loved more than life itself and would do anything to protect.

* * *

It took them a long while to leave the safety of their hiding spot. When they finally did, they were met with the sounds of triumph. That’s when they knew the war had been won. Moving toward the source of the noise, Dan leaning on Phil’s shoulder because of the weakness he felt from the curse, they were met with a heartwarming scene: Harry Potter was being hugged and celebrated by everyone around. The battle had been won and both of the boys heaved a huge sigh of relief at this knowledge.

As soon as they were spotted by them, Phil’s friends ran over to hug him tightly. Phil let go of Dan for a little while, relieved by seeing all of his friends all alive and well. Dan just observed him, a smile of pride in his face.

Chris told Phil about Dan’s little act of heroism in the battlefield and Phil looked at the boy next to him, heart swelling with contentment. Dan just shrugged and shyly mumbled something about it being ‘ _the least he could do, really.’_

Louise also found them and hugged Dan so tightly that he had to ask her to stop because of the pain. Flustered, she let him go and told him about how worried she had been all along for not bumping into him. She convinced herself he had left, but she knew that he wouldn’t without Phil.

As everyone went back inside the castle to celebrate the victory, forgetting all about house divisions in their victory meal, Dan and Phil stayed behind for a bit to have an important conversation that was way past due.

When Phil asked if Dan wanted to tell people about them being together now that things had changed, he expected to be met with reluctance or resistance from the boy’s part. All he got was relief and the brightest dimpled smile ever, as the boy breathed out a relieved ‘yes’ and threw himself at Phil, hugging him excitedly and telling him how much he loved him.

When they entered the castle again and sat down to eat with their friends, Phil just smiled at Dan and raised an eyebrow, a silent question in his eyes. Dan nodded and Phil gently pulled him close, mindful of his injuries, and kissed him passionately in front of everyone. Their coming-out gesture was met with the happy cries of ‘ _I knew it_ ’ from Louise, the happy cheers from Carrie and PJ. They were also met with Chris’ moan and complaint of ‘get a room, you two’, even though they noticed he was also smiling.

They just smirked and Dan gave them a cheeky wink before pulling Phil by the tie roughly and kissing him deeply, giving them a real show. He forgot about everyone else in the room as their friends groaned, leaving them to it and moving away to eat more food and talk to other friends, giving them some privacy.

In each other arms, the boys celebrated surviving what would later be called the Battle of Hogwarts. It would go down in history as one of the biggest moments in the wizarding world. But what made them even happier was the thought that they were finally free to be together whenever they wanted to.

* * *

Phil was positive his friends hated them already. No, it wasn’t about Dan; they warmed up to Dan pretty quickly - ironically, Chris ended up loving his sense of humor and hung out with him a lot during the following year.

The problem was how they were always  _all over each other_ \- earning them more than a few visits to Mcgonagall’s room as she scolded them for too much PDA during class. Even Louise, their biggest shipper, would sometimes make fun of them for it and complain about how joined at the hip they were these days.

The thing was they were  _finally_  free to be the people they always were. They could finally hold hands while walking down the school hallways and kiss each other in front of other people. They could finally hang out together without people judging. They never even cared about the jokes anymore or the ugly looks from people who just didn’t understand that their differences made them stronger. They were finally ready to go on this journey together, hand-in-hand, as it should always had been.

They were inseparable after that: Dan and Phil, stronger than ever. The other couples in Hogwarts envied how close they were. They never had serious fights and were always laughing, lost in their own little world.

These were their happiest days at Hogwarts, and whenever Dan and Phil looked back at these moments in their history together, it was always with fond smiles and a sweet melancholy feeling from some of the best years they’d had together so far.

* * *

Now Dan was packing his things, ready to leave the school once and for all. He would always remember Hogwarts and all the amazing things he conquered there. His life was turned upside down in the wizarding school and there was nothing he was more grateful for in life than that single chapter. He wanted to make the next ones even better. He missed Phil deeply every single day, ever since the boy had finished his studies the previous year. But he knew they had amazing plans and he couldn’t be happier with how life had turned out so far.

He remembered the kid that first went through the gates: scared, shy, regretful. He also remembered his fear of being a Slytherin after the sorting. More than anything, he fondly remembered the also very young boy who approached him and made him feel safe and loved like no one else ever did. He remembered the threat of evil looming over him at the time as he cried himself to sleep, thinking he was somehow sentenced to evil.

He looked back on it and laughed now. He laughed at how much he let it affect him. When he finally embraced who he was and saved that Hufflepuff girl in the battlefield - he later learned she survived, thanks to him - Dan realized that there was no reason to doubt himself at all. Just like Phil told him, all those years ago.

Smiling to himself, the boy got into the Hogwarts express, back to platform 9 ¾.

* * *

As he reached his destination, Dan knew he would  _finally be home_. Home was now the muggle world, full of possibilities. Home was the thrill of adventure in a world devoid of magic, away from all of his parents expectations and his so-called potential. Fuck all that, he never needed anyone to dictate his future! Home had a name and a distinct smile he was dying to see again.

As he threw his bags on the ground at the platform and ran toward the tall boy, whose arms were outstretched to him, he was once again reminded of what home felt like. Dan threw himself into his partner’s arms, hugging him as tightly as possible. He just knew his life was destined for greatness. That much they got right. But not for the reason others assumed.

As they walked back to muggle-world England hand-in-hand, Dan knew there was nothing to fear ever again. He was listening to Phil talking nonstop to him, excitedly telling him all about the apartment he’s got for them to share and all the little things that were now theirs. He also enthused about his newfound career on a certain website called Youtube, which Dan still had to learn about. He just smiled hugely at Phil, excited about what the future held for them.

He just knew that he would never miss a thing as long as he had Phil by his side, not even magic. Because this was what he called home.

Feeling Phil pull him into a sprint, Dan laughed loudly and yelled about how unfit he was and how unfair it was to make him exercise, contradicted by his dimpled smile and sparkling eyes. They ran off together into the beautiful sunny day, laughs echoing through the streets. Going away side-by-side to their new adventures.

Yeah,  _they would be just fine._

**Author's Note:**

> Fuck, I’m so emotional about this! It was a wild journey to write this story and a big dream of mine. I hope you love it as much as I loved writing it. Please let me know what you think, feedback is the loveliest thing I can ever receive! I also would like to thank my lovely beta and artist for all the love put into this big project. ILY for your infinite patience when even I didn’t think I could finish it on time! Alas, here it is and I love it. :D I wouldn’t change a single thing.
> 
> I’ll see you all around, hopefully. And thank you! :D Please leave a lovely comment for me so I’ll know what you thought about it. It would mean the world to me ^_^


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